Selective retrograde labeling in some afferents to the rabbit lateral geniculate nucleus following injections of tritiated neurotransmitter-related compounds.

Retrogradely labeled neurons were found in the visual cortex and superior colliculus following D-[3H]aspartate injections in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). In these experiments labeling was also observed over the optic tract. [3H]dopamine and [3H]serotonin injections in the LGN caused weak labeling in a small number of superior colliculus neurons. Furthermore, in [3H]serotonin cases, labeled neurons were also found in the dorsal raphé nucleus. In contrast, when other amino acids or monoamines were injected, no retrograde labeling occurred in any of the afferents to the LGN. These results are largely consistent with the idea of D-[3H]aspartate being a useful marker for pathways using excitatory amino acids as neurotransmitters. The findings in [3H]dopamine and [3H]serotonin experiments indicate that these substances may induce retrograde labeling patterns, which are not related to the transmitter specificity of the pathways concerned.